I promised some before and after pics–after all, I’m a huge HGTV junkie too!–so here is the first post. I’ve started with the family room because it’s the largest room and really shows off how just some paint, carpet, and cleaning can make a huge impact on the appearnce of a space.

Here is a “before” picture. It shows off the huge windows, 80s-tastic carpeting, purple beam on the ceiling, and maroon colored baseboards. You’ve seen the picture of the fabulous rainbow zigzag tile floor we found when we ripped out this carpet (did I mention the previous owners had two large dogs?). Here’s a “progress” photo of me painting the purple beam white.

My sis clued me in to wearing a shower cap when painting anything on the ceiling to avoid paint drips and splatters in your hair. Also, goggles keep it out of your eyes. I just think it’s a funny photo. You can still see all that maroon trim in this picture too. The walls are still white in this photo; we painted all the trim white before painting the walls.

This is the new carpet being installed. The walls are also painted in this photo. We used a color called “Gray Beige” by Olympus (found at Lowe’s) for all the main living areas in the house, and I LOVE it. It is absolutely the perfect neutral. The carpet is also from Lowe’s, and we picked it because it has some variations in color and pattern so it won’t show messes as much. We made the mistake of installing a very pale, all-over color carpet in the last house we purchased, and never again.

This is the carpet in and the room set up.

The previous owner left this outdated entertainment center, so I used a Pinterest pin for inspiration and turned it into a home for the girls’ dress-up clothes and some toy bins; all I had to do was remove the glass door and hang a tension rod. The cupboards in the bottom hold dress-up hats and shoes.

Another idea I grabbed from Pinterest was using their train table to hold their doll houses. At this point, both of them are more into their dollhouse and horse barn than the train stuff, so it is in some bins in a nearby armoire. The lip of the train table keeps all the doll figures and furniture off the floor, which is pure awesome after stepping on it at the old house.

I lined one whole wall with bookshelf cubbies and filled them with toys or bins. I used both plastic bins from Dollar Tree and canvas bins. The shelves are the perfect height because they can reach everything to take out and put away.

That’s the playroom side of the family room. The other side houses the TV and a “family” wall displaying my great-grandmother’s quilt and family photos.

I like this family picture wall over in the TV area. Ignore the crooked picture, but I like how it’s random yet cohesive due to the all-black frames.

I think I’ve covered the highlights. There you have it–what was once a dark, dreary room stuck in the 1980s is now a light, bright, clean room for playing, watching TV, or curling up with a good book.

2 Responses to “Family Room Redo”

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Faster than a speeding couch potato! Able to leap the produce aisle in a single bound! Welcome to Super Veggie Mom, which chronicles my efforts to raise a plant-strong, creative, and bright family while pursuing my own writing and fitness interests.